From the Sunday Portland Oregonian — interesting for rail operator wannabe’s
http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/108643700766190.xml?oregonian?nwg
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It is good to see communities that have a good relationship with the RRs. Many city managers would just see this as an opportunity to trim costs and kill it.
Here in Peoria Illinois, there tring to tear up an operating brach line about 8 miles long through town and turn it into a bike path. The line is an old rock line that once went all the way to the quad cities but now ends in an industrial park north of town. Reaaallllly rough looking line but operated with an RS3 and 10 mph. only got a few customers but its enough to pay the bills. This past spring Pioneer Rail Corp (who runs the line) had the Algoma Central FP7’s the bought parked there.Neat!! This line passes through several neighborhoods some good some i wouldnt be caught dead in and crosses sevral very busy streets. I cant fighure out for the life of me why the hell the city would want to pull up this line that produces revenue and has customers out. The city owns the line and has bought property to connect with the UP (cnw) main out of town but there is still alot of potental customes on the line and the city is basicly shutting the door on them. So it goes… LONG LOIVE THE ROCK!!!
In latest Trains magazine column about abandonments etc, it talks about building a connecting track to, I think to the UP I don’t have the magazine in front of me, to allow abandonment of 7 miles without rail customers.